


The Time Travelling Professor

by Cat_Lady_Without_Cats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Good Severus Snape, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Not Beta Read, OOC behaviour, Out of Character, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-12-28 22:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21144230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Lady_Without_Cats/pseuds/Cat_Lady_Without_Cats
Summary: As Severus takes his last breaths in the shrieking shack, he takes new ones in the past.This work contains out of character behaviour, if you do not like that, please do not read.if you enjoy seeing characters act different than how they usually are, I welcome you to this random concotion i have created.Any and all mistakes are mine.I do not permit anyone to post my works on any site.





	1. Chapter 1

Often times, Severus Snape had wondered, what if he could do over his life again? Would he do things differently? Or would he make the same decisions? Would he follow the Dark Lord again? Knowing how it would all end? Would he not make amends with his one true childhood friend, knowing she would die an untimely death? Would he save her? Would he deviate the path so, that he would be the one facing the Dark Lord alongside her and Potter, as he came for their child, the prophesied one? Would he even fight with her, scared of doing something that would turn her away?

His whole life, the one thing he had regretted most was his angry outburst at his best and only friend. He had wanted to rectify that, trying to reach out to Lily, to apologise. But the rotten Marauders had foiled his each and every try to make amends. He could still see Potter’s devious smirk as he kept leading Lily away from where he stood waiting for her. He had written her a letter too, once they had graduated and he’d learned the error of his ways, the grave wrong he’d done by joining the Dark Lord and becoming a Death Eater. But, he’d received no reply. That had driven him further into the clutches of those he considered truly evil, now that he looked back on it.

He had treated her son with so much disdain, so much hatred. He saw only James, where he should have also seen Lily. There had been times, though few in number, where the boy had acted in a truly Lily-like manner, and he’d had trouble trying to disconnect the two. But, he did, with his sheer bullheadedness, he did disconnect the two where he shouldn’t have. He should have let it be, treated the boy better. But he clung to the excuse of him being a double spy, and to the fact that he was half James Potter’s spawn. He clung to it like a leech to a man’s blood.

He wondered would he follow the same path that led him here, if he lived his life again? Lying half dead on the floor of the same shack, where his school rival saved his life from his werewolf friend. Almost begging his childhood friend’s child to look at him, so he could see those green eyes again. Was his hatred for James Potter so deep rooted, that he could not ever see his one true friend in her son’s face? Too late, now he would never know. It was his last thought as he closed his eyes for the last time in his life.

~~***~~

Harry Potter rushed back to the Shrieking Shack when he left the Great Hall, courtesy of Luna’s distraction. He didn’t want to leave Snape’s body in the shack. The man deserved as much recognition as Dumbledore. His double spying ways had paved the way to Harry defeating the Dark Lord. Now, that he knew what Severus had done, he forgave the man for the way he treated him. Albeit it was childish of the man to hold on to the actions of his father and treat him poorly for it. Harry simply had too big of a heart to hold onto the man bullying him, such was his nature.

The young boy was soon at the Shrieking Shack, having almost flown there on his feet. He did not want his former professor’s body to be disregarded any longer. Throwing open the door, a gasp left his lips.

There was no body, just a large pool of blood. The boy rushed out, looking for anybody who might be carrying the body. He despaired that he was too late and someone with nefarious intentions had taken the man’s body.

The boy searched the whole way back to the school, but he could not find anyone or any trace of the body. Surely, there would have been a blood trail, given the nature of the professor’s death. But, the young man couldn’t find anything. The wind started howling in his ears, he saw Luna waiting for him at the doors to the castle. She had a smile on her face.

“Don’t worry, Harry.” She said. “You’ll find each other soon.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Potter, Harry.” Minerva called out.

Severus looked for the boy, half curious, half wondering how the Potter spawn had turned out to be. The boy he saw, was nowhere near anything like James Potter had been, nor had he anything similar to Lily. The boy then looked at him, as he walked towards the stool near Minerva. The look in those eyes made him barely hold back a gasp. It was the look of someone who’d been through hardships, suffered through things he shouldn’t even know about. And Severus, he could recognise the look, as it was the same look on his own face each day, every day, before he faced the masses.

But what could make that look appear on an eleven year old’s face? He wondered. He was intrigued; he wanted to know the cause behind it, as if he was compelled. The boy was now sitting on the table, the sorting hat on his head. A fleeting thought went through the man’s head, what would happen if the boy were to get sorted in Slytherin?

Suddenly, a sharp pain flared behind his sternum, at the lower end of it. He held back a scream, his grip so tight on the table, that his knuckles turned white. He screwed his eyes shut, as the wave of pain continued.

Nobody paid attention to him for the sorting hat had called out the house name for one Boy-Who-Lived. “SLYTHERIN” it had shout out, for all to hear.

And when Severus Snape opened his eyes, pain now all but vanished, there was no doubt it was not same man who had been wondering about the boy’s house sorting. As this new Severus watched Harry go sit at the Slytherin table, his godson, Draco, all but pushing away others to make space for the sable-haired boy to sit next to him, he thought to himself, this time, things won’t be the same.

~~***~~

Draco thought that he’d bungled up his chance when the boy had refused to take his hand. But he felt relieved when the hat had called out Slytherin when the boy was to be sorted. He’d literally made people shift seats so that the boy would sit beside him. But the boy was acting different than earlier, he was almost hunched over himself. Draco didn’t want to bring attention to that, he was sure Harry wouldn’t want that either. So he kept quiet throughout the meal, though he hoped the boy would say something, the silence was making him a tad uncomfortable. Before he knew it though, the Welcoming feast was over, and they were being herded back to their dormitories. He hoped the boy would talk once they were in the privacy of their rooms.

Soon they were gathered in the common room and waiting for their Head of House to arrive. Severus glided in the common room as he was wont to do. Draco loved how his godfather could gain the attention of everybody in the room with just being there, not speaking a single word. He hoped he could do that someday.

“Good evening, Slytherin House.” The dour man begun, “I am Professor Snape, to inform our new additions, and I am the head of your house. As you would have been told, your house is your family while you are in school, that does not mean you cannot interact with other ‘families’, so to speak. Our house has a reputation of producing ambitious, goal-oriented individuals. Alas, the past decade and the time before that, has not been kind to us, and now we are judged by the actions of one wizard. Many of you know or belong to such families who followed the said wizard and are now scrutinized for every action of theirs. Know this, though they might judge you, they cannot change who you are in your essence. Do not let the choices of your families define you. As you can see, we have amongst us an enigma. Harry Potter, the Boy—Who-Lived, is a Slytherin. This, children, is the sign of change, grasp it, hang on to it, don’t let it slip through your fingers. Now, I am sure you all are very tired and await your beds after such a long journey. Tomorrow the classes begin, I wish you all the luck, and hope you will do your best in all your classes. Tutoring will be provided to those who need it. I will be available too, if you need me to help you in any subject.” here he nodded at the Prefects, who then led the lower years to their dorm rooms.

“Mr. Potter, a word if you would.” Severus spoke up.

The small boy broke apart from his year mates and walked up to the man. The Slytherin head, could see how small the boy was compared to the other boys of his age. It brought a frown to his face, mind already working on how to bring the boy up to speed on everything health and education related.

The boy now stood before him, his head down, fingers fiddling with the hems of his school robe. He was clearly nervous. Severus put a gentle hand on his shoulder, but the boy still stiffened up.

“I know this is not what you expected Mr. Potter. But I hope this house can be a home to you. My door is open to you, any time you need my help. But, I hope you would not waste mine and your time with frivolous talks. I knew your mother Mr. Potter.” At this the boy’s head jerked up to look at him, and Severus gave him a rueful smile and a tiny nod. “And I can tell you this with full confidence, that she would have been proud of you had she been with us today.”

The boy had tears glistening in his eyes, he still didn’t say anything, just nodded and went back to looking at the floor. The tall man sighed, and nodded to himself. “Well then, I shall leave you to your sleep. Goodnight, Harry. I hope you have peaceful dreams.”

Severus then turned around and left the common room, leaving behind a hopeful student and a bewildered godson; and even more bewildered house, who had never seen this side of the man.

~~***~~

Young Harry was caught off-guard by Severus’ behaviour, especially his admittance of knowing his mother. The only thing he’d heard about her till now was that he had her eyes. And, for the professor to say that she would be proud of him, even if he was in Slytherin, was not something he was expecting.

He was sure though, that Ron would never talk to him now, the other boy was so against Slytherin he was sure he would rather Harry stay far away from him. The boy solemnly walked behind the blond haired boy he was sure he had rejected when he’d extended a hand of friendship. Draco Malfoy, that was his name.

‘Great.’ Harry thought. ‘This will be yet another Dudley and his friends like scene. And to think I was happy I would be away from that treatment.’

He saw that there were name plates stuck to the doors of the rooms. One of the doors held his and Malfoy’s name. ‘So I would be sharing a room with the boy too, wonderful.’ Harry griped inside his head.

At times Harry wondered if he was born with perpetual bad luck of some sort. Even now, he was paired up to share rooms with the boy he was hoping to avoid. Maybe he could ask Professor Snape? Or would this be one of those frivolous things he was talking about? Maybe he should not ask for anything, maybe Malfoy would himself ask for a change once he sees that he’s sharing the room with Harry.

But the sable-haired boy was yet again surprised, when the boy said nothing and simply entered the room, even after seeing Harry’s name on the door. Harry could do nothing than to follow the boy into the room. The room was decorated warm wood tones, with splashes of Slytherin green throughout it. The furniture held the warm wood tones, while their upholstery held the Slytherin green colour. In the far corners of the room, sat two huge wardrobes, the likes of which Harry had never seen, on top of one of those, sat his very own battered and second-hand trunk. A blush rose to his cheeks as he saw Malfoy looking in puzzlement at his trunk. 

The cupboards faced each other, and next to them were two canopy beds, which Harry never could have even dreamed about. He knew the blonde boy could see the awe he felt, clear on his face, but he couldn’t seem to care about that. This room was turning out to be the room of his dreams. Next to the beds were two student- sized, but still bigger than normal desks. On the desk which was on his side, he saw a few books, he was sure Malfoy didn’t have on his. And finally, closest to the doors, where both boys stood, were two small shoe racks, while Harry’s held a pair of yet again battered slip-ons, Malfoy had a few pairs of boots and shoes and two different pairs of slip-ons. This again made Harry blush, as Malfoy was now staring at him in open befuddlement.

Ignoring the boy, Harry went over to his desk to see what the books were about. He heard Malfoy follow his lead and turn to his own things and look through them. The titles of the books further confused him.

“Guide to Proper Quill Usage, A Muggleborn’s Introduction to Wizarding Traditions? What?” Harry mused out loud.

“Oh, those are the books mud….muggleborns get when they enter the wizarding world. But shouldn’t you have gotten them when you first went to Diagon Alley? Who took you there? Don’t tell me it was the giant! Oh Merlin, that explains so much!” Draco exclaimed.

“Wh...What does that mean?” Harry asked, still a bit conscious about how his things looked compared to Malfoy’s. He’d never been one to think that way, but the put together manner of the young boy, of someone his age, had him feel all sorts of uncomfortable.

“Everything, Potter. The way you acted when I offered you my hand in friendship, the way you rebuffed me.” Draco exhaled at that. “I am sorry I was such a ponce to you. I hope you forgive me and accept my hand this time. I would like to help you wade through this maze of a wizarding world that you’ve stepped in.” with that the boy again held out his hand, fiercely hoping in his heart, that this time the Potter boy would accept it, and him.

A part of Harry, which he had long since quashed, rose its head again, a part that had always held out hope, that he would have a friend too, one day, when there would be no Dursley’s around, and no Dudley to scare away his newly made friends by tormenting him, and Harry couldn’t not accept Draco’s hand. The changes which had started in the Great Hall, where a man had no longer been who he once was, and a boy had been sorted into a house he had been warned against, those changes continued and will continue, as a Potter shook a Malfoy’s hand, not in a formal setting, but as start of something new, as a start of a friendship that would be surprising to some, and not as much to the others.

~~***~~

In his personal rooms, near the Slytherin dorms, a potion’s master was bent over his cauldrons, feverishly working on three potions simultaneously. He knew what the boy would need in the upcoming year, to come to par with his peers health-wise. The potions master also worked on a plan to remove the threat of the Dark Lord returning before he actually did. For that, he would need the goblins’ help, and Severus was ready to do anything for the boy, his only friend’s son.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry woke up to someone calling out his name.

“I’m up Aunt Petunia. I’ll make the breakfast as soon as you unlock the door.” He mumbled to himself.

“What do you mean you’ll make the breakfast? And who is Aunt Petunia?” he heard Draco say.

At that the sable haired boy shot up in his bed. He looked around and found himself in the dorm with Draco. All of it came rushing back to him, the train ride, the boat ride over the lake, his sorting, the words spoken to him by the hat and then Professor Snape.

“Draco! I thought yesterday was just a dream.” He laughed nervously, hoping the boy would ignore his earlier words.

The blonde smiled at him softly. “It’s not, Harry. You are in Hogwarts with me. Now, tell me what’s all this about making breakfast and unlocking doors?” His expression turned serious immediately.

Harry turned his eyes away from the blonde’s face. “It’s…it’s nothing.”

Draco sighed. “Cm’on, it’s time to get ready for breakfast. You can use the bathroom, I’m ready. I was just waiting for you.” Draco smiled at him again.

Harry nodded greatfully and turned towards his cupboard, pulling out his school uniform, the boy went to the door which had appeared sometime over the night in their room, it was right in between the two cupboards.

Going through the door, the boy saw that it did lead to a bathroom. He hurriedly used the facilities, gave himself a rushed wash out of habit. Donning his uniform, he went back out into the room where Draco waited for him patiently.

The boys quickly made their way out of their room and into the common room where the fifth year prefects stood waiting for them. Soon, all their year-mates were out of their dorms, and were led by the said fifth year prefects towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry had picked up his copy of A Muggleborn’s Introduction to Wizarding Traditions when he’d left his dorm. He wanted to be prepared if situations like Draco’s arose again. He would read the book whenever he could, such was his determination to catch up on what he had to learn. The other books he’d gotten along with the one he carried, he vowed to read through them when he got time. He had so much to catch up on, he felt overwhelmed, though his determination seemed to keep his panic at bay, for now.

As it did in the Welcoming Feast, the food appeared on the table once the first years were seated. Harry ate sparsely as his stomach was not used to so much and so rich food. Draco looked at him worriedly form the corner of his eye. No sooner had Harry finished what he’d put on his plate, that three vials, full of different potions, came to being in front of him. There was a roll of parchment attached to the one in the middle.

_Harry,___

_ _ _These vials contain vital potions which you need to catch up to your peers health-wise. The one to your right, the blue coloured potion, will over time heal any deficiency you have, be it anything that the potion might deem to be deficit in your body. The one in the middle, the red coloured potion, will cure you of your weak eyesight, this too will happen over time and not immediately. Finally, the one on the left, the green coloured one will help you adjust to more amounts of food each day._  
_These potions are my personal creations, made for myself, by myself. No one else knows about them and I would like to keep it that way. Right now, no one can see you read this missive, for them you are reading a list of books, so there is no need to worry about people knowing. The potions will be delivered to you, every day by my personal elf at breakfast. I hope you will trust me and take these. They are for improving your health and nothing untoward will happen._____ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _S. S.___ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Harry looked up at the Head Table, where Severus sat, looking back at him. The professor inclined his head to let Harry know that it was what it was. The missive and potions were from him. The boy looked back at the three vials, a small smile on his face. He picked up the vials one by one and downed them, shivering in disgust at the taste of them. He knew life would take a turn for better when he came to Hogwarts, he never knew it would be to this extent._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~~***~~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Ronald Weasley was confused. How could a boy, he was sure would be in Gryffindor, end up in Slytherin, the rival house? All those stories he had heard about the boy, were they all untrue? He did not know what to do, the things he’d known to be absolute, did not seem to be so any longer. He wondered what it would mean for the young boy he had befriended on the train. After all, he was going to bear the brunt of it all. And as that thought formed in his head, the red-headed boy knew what he had to do._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _He was ready by now for his first day at the school he’d been waiting to attend since he could speak. Rushing out of the Gryffindor tower, he headed for the Great Hall, hoping he was not too late. His eyes went immediately to the Slytherin table. He spotted the blond head of hair first, it shone distinctively, and just beside it, he recognised the black head of hair which looked wind swept, no matter what. Though he was surprised to see the two boys sitting together, he gathered up his courage which had helped him get sorted into his house and walked towards the green clad table._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _It felt to him, as if the whole school was watching him, even if the whole school was not even in the Great Hall at that time. Malfoy noticed him first, and as soon as he did, so did Harry. The boy looked somewhat worried, not that Ron could recognise the look. He kept on walking towards the boys, he came to a stop near Harry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“Hey.” He mumbled, a bit worried and scared, not that he would ever agree if asked. “So, Slytherin, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“Yeah, you have a problem with that?” Harry said, mostly to his robes, his head down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“No, no. Do you?” Ron asked, sparing a glance at Malfoy, who was trying to focus very intently at his plate, which was empty._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“No. I actually like it.” Harry replied, his shoulders a tad more relaxed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“Yeah?” Ron sighed. “that’s great. So… I’ll see you in class then?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“You want to?” Harry’s head jerked up at that, his eyes full of hope and bewilderment. Even Malfoy had stopped unsuccessfully trying to ignore what was going on beside him and was now unabashedly looking at the two boys._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“Of course, we’re friends, aren’t we?” Ron looked worried now. What if Malfoy had turned Harry against Gryffindor, he wondered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _The smile that spread on Harry’s face, washed away any doubts that could crop up into Ron’s head, even Malfoy looked wonder struck by that smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _“Okay, see you in class.” Harry said, the smile not leaving his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Ron nodded erratically, making those around him worry about his head flying off his neck. He turned and went back to his own table, where his elder twin brothers were waiting for him, their mouths agape._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _By the end of the first class, everyone knew about the Slytherin Harry Potter and his friendship with a Weasley, the most Gryffindor one could ever hope to be._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Chapter 4

Severus was for once thankful for the fact that Hogwarts brought the students on Friday. It gave them and the teachers a weekend to get used to the schedule once again, also to get a few last-minute things done.

With that excuse given to any who would ask, Severus made his way to Diagon Alley. He wanted to go to the bank to take up his lordship and let the goblins know about the dark artefact they had on their property. And maybe, just maybe, get them to help him track and destroy the other horcruxes he knew were out there.

He did not want the Dark Lord back in his life again. Once was more than enough and he was sure he could get one other ex-follower to help him. He would have to tread carefully.

He kept his mental checklist in forefront as he entered the bank. Walking up to one of the numerous tellers, he stood patiently, waiting to be acknowledged. It was good practice to let the goblins be the first ones to speak rather than bluntly demanding them to cater to the whims of the wizards. The goblins did, after all, take care of the finances of the whole wizarding world.

The goblin teller shuffled about some papers obviously trying to appear busy and testing the wizard’s patience in his own way. He finally turned to Severus, deeming him suitable enough to be pleasant to, as pleasant as a goblin can be.

“What can Gringotts Bank help you with today?” the goblins asked, his voice very nasally.

“I have come to take up my Lordship, if I am eligible.” Severus spoke in a monotone, appearing and actually being, very disinterested. It would not do well for anyone to realise he actually wanted to take up his lordship. That would be detrimental to his plans.

The goblin looked at him shrewdly, as if gauging his worth. He then rang a small bell kept on the side, which summoned another goblin, who looked quite young compared to the teller.

“Take Mr. ..”

“Severus Snape”

“Ah.. Take Potions Master Severus Snape to HildeSkor.” He said to the summoned goblin, a weird glint in his eye.

Severus’ eyes widened in surprise at the acknowledgement the goblin gave him. It certainly looked like the goblins paid the wizarding world more attention than the wizards did to them. He followed the younger goblin deeper inside the bank, after what seemed like a maze of halls, he stopped before one door and knocked.

“Enter.” A feminine voice called out, it was like a raven’s screech if Severus was to compare it to something.

The young goblin opened the door and announced him. “Potions Master Severus Snape, Madam HildeSkor.”

He was ushered inside and the door closed behind him. He looked at the goblin sitting behind the ornate desk. At a glance she was no different than the numerous goblins he had seen in his lifetime. He moved closer to the desk, again, waiting for the goblin to acknowledge him.

Said goblin was looking at him too, again, scrutinising him in a very unnerving way. Never in his life had Severus felt so scrutinised. No one ever paid him any mind and he liked it like that, this goblin way of looking at him was not something he wished to be subject to, but needs must.

The goblin gestured at him to take a seat, whish Severus did with a small incline of his head showing his appreciation.

“How can I help you today Master Snape?” the goblin asked, her gaze on him unwavering.

“I would like to test if I am eligible for the Prince Lordship.” Severus cut to the chase, he just knew that was the right approach here.

The female goblin quirked an eyebrow up at that but nodded at him. She pulled open one of the drawers and pulled out a piece of parchment and a small needle.

“Seven drops on the parchment, no more, no less. Any finger of the left hand will do.” She explained in a very practiced way.

Severus took the two things from her and pricking his left ring finger, he let seven drops fall onto the parchment. Once all seven drops were given, they slithered around the parchment, slowly taking shapes in the form of alphabets, after a moment or two, the parchment now contained his family tree.

HildeSkor picked up the parchment as it finished forming the family tree, nodding at seeing something, she opened another drawer, different form the one she had opened earlier, and took out a small box. She slid it across the desk to him.

“A drop of blood from your right thumb Master Snape, then we shall see if the Prince Lordship will accept your claim or not.” Her gaze was back on him again.

Severus had not been able to see what the parchment said, but if she was continuing the process, it must have been something in his favour. So he did what he was told, pricking his right thumb, he smeared the blood on the latch as the goblin indicated him to do.

The box opened up with a barely heard click. Severus pulled it open the rest of the way. There, nestled in the black velvet insides of the box was the Prince Lordship ring. The ring itself was very nondescript, plain gold band with a purple stone the size of his nail. It was the stone that intrigued him. There were symbols inside of the stone, not etched over it, not etched on the metal underneath it, not from what he could see and he was no jewel smith.

The symbols were a cauldron with a caduceus stamped on it, with a crown on top of the cauldron. He looked at the goblin again, who inclined her head, as if telling him to hurry up. the ring now looked very imposing to him but he knew he had to do this if he was to be of any help to Harry. With great trepidation, he slipped on the ring. A swirl of magic encased his hand before the ring resized to fit him properly. He stared at it, shocked, he hadn’t expected to be accepted, but here he was, Lord Prince.

“Congratulations Lord Prince.” The Goblin said. “Now on to the matter of your finances.”

~*~

After hours of rigorous auditing and investments, all done on the recommendation of HildeSkor, Severus was finally free to leave. But there was something else he needed to speak to the goblins about.

“Goblin HildeSkor.” He begun. “Perhaps you could point me to the goblin I should speak to about certain harmful objects I know the location of and need destroyed.”

The goblin looked at him in that now familiar way of hers with a quirked eyebrow.

“And what would these harmful objects be, Master Snape?”

Severus looked at her, his gaze calculating, wondering if he should tell her. Nothing had made him suspicious about her, she had helped him immensely when it came to his new found finances. But his old spying ways were stopping him from blurting it out.

He had never trusted anyone other than maybe Dumbledore the last time he was alive, and look where that got him. Dead and time travelling back to the past. How many more of such chances could anyone ever get, let alone him. So for once in his life, this new one that he had the luck to get, he went with his gut instinct.

“Horcruxes, multiple.” He saw the goblin visibly flinch at that. “There are six that I know of, one of them being a living container, a wizard child to be clear.”

HildeSkor was now visibly shaken. She stared at him in incomprehension, her face showing every emotion she felt in that moment. Sitting back in her chair, she rang a small bell which summoned the same young goblin as earlier.

“Fetch me Manager LockSaw, Griphook, tell him its code black. Do not let anyone else hear you and I mean anyone. Be quick about it.” she snapped out.

The young goblin barely gave her a bow before he was out the door and rushing down the hallway.

“How sure are you about this information Master Snape?” she now turned to him, still shaken but more put together than she was moments ago.

“As sure as I am of my identity Goblin HildeSkor.”

The goblin looked at him with a mix of resignation and fear.

Soon Goblin Manager LockSaw was in the room with them. Both the goblins discussed something in gobbledegook before HildeSkor pressed something on the side of her desk. Both the goblins then turned to him.

“Tell us all you know.” HildeSkor growled out.

“For that I need help. I need you to bring in Lucius Malfoy.”

~~***~~

Lucius Malfoy seldom got any missives from the bank, he preferred to conduct his business with the goblins in person. So when he got an unscheduled missive from them as soon as he reached home it bothered him. He did not like this one bit.

He ripped open the seal of the envelope and pulled out the parchment inside.

_Lucius_

_I have come into a surprise inheritance. I would be of immense help if you could come to the bank and help me sort it all out._

_I am with Goblin HildeSkor, ask for her when you come to the bank. As soon as possible Lucius, please._

_Severus_

Lucius was now even more baffled. Severus had never been the one to give substance to inheritances. But the fact that the missive came from the bank itself was compelling. Rubbing a hand over his face, he got up to go inform his wife about the sudden change in his evening plans.

~*~

Lucius had been at the bank numerous times, but always during the day and never in the evening. This was something new for him, something different, he hated different.

Making his way to the first free teller, he gave him HildeSkor’s name, after which he was promptly whisked away to an office deep in the bank.

Entering the office he saw Severus sitting at a desk, across from him were two goblins who seemed to be in a deep discussion. He made his way to his friend.

“Hello, Severus.” he spoke up, effectively stopping the goblins’ discussion and getting the attention of the three occupants of the room. He could see Severus was smirking at him, knowing his penchant for wanting everyone’s attention on him.

“Now that Lucius is here,” Severus intoned. “I think I should tell you why I am here really.”

~*~

It was night by the time Severus had told them all that he could possibly about the horcruxes he knew of and where they could be. Lucius had changed colours during his tale, his face whiter than his hair when Severus told him what the diary he had been given was. The goblins too, were shocked when they learned there was one in their bank.

“So, there is the diary in possession of Lord Malfoy, the cup of Helga Hufflepuff in the vault of one Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, the locket in the Black townhouse,” LockSaw counted out. ”The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw and the signet ring belonging to the Gaunts the whereabouts of which are unknown and finally the wizard child.”

“Yes and I would like your help in finding the location of the two pieces.”

“Do you know who the child is Severus?” Lucius asked, his tone low.

“Yes.” Severus hesitated here, worried about whether he should reveal what he knows. “there might be a bit of problem with that aspect of my plan.”

The three occupants of the room looked at him, as if saying go on, get on with it then, what else is left to shock us.

“You might know him as The Boy Who Lived.”


	5. Chapter 5

The information Severus had provided the goblins with, was a goldmine. They immediately took out the cup from the Lestrange vault under the pretence of bank wide audit. They took a few other dark artefacts from various so-called dark families to keep anyone from suspecting anything amiss.

Lucius had gone to his manor and brought back the diary the next day, glad to be rid of it.

After Severus had disclosed who the living horcrux was, they had made plans to collect the two easily accessible horcruxes and try to find out how to collect the third, as the house was under Sirius Black’s name and the man was incarcerated, even if it was unlawful.

They had planned to meet the next day to determine how to help Severus get Harry safely and discretely to the bank.

To say they had been shocked was an understatement. Never in the history of the Wizarding world had anyone made more than two horcruxes let alone six and a living one included. They had to get Harry to the bank to understand how much the horcrux affected him and how they could safely remove it from the boy.

They were back again in HildeSkor’s office under the goblins' tightest wards, the horcruxes in separate transparent boxes made of goblin magic.

“How do you suggest we get into the Black townhouse. We know there is a horcrux there and that elf, Kreacher was it?” Lucius mused out loud, ever since he had heard that young Harry, who was the age of his own son, was made a horcrux, he had wanted to get his son out of that blasted school and keep him under lock and key.

But that was not practical, so here he was, in a room with two goblins and an old friend, trying to bring down a master he once believed in.

“We might have a probable solution.” LockSaw spoke up. “We could get Sirius Black released, quietly of course. Our records show that he is still eligible for the Black Lordship as he was incarcerated unlawfully. And he is the boy’s godfather.”

“What about the Dementor exposure, one minute of being around those things has people traumatised. He’s been around hem for ten years.” Severus argued.

He could see the benefit of Black being out, but the man could be firmly under Dumbledore’s thumb and Severus didn’t want the headmaster to know of his actions. Not until he’s sure of his footing and until he’s sure that his actions won’t create any more troubles for young Harry.

“We have a solution for that too.” HildeSkor said. “Some years ago, one of our researchers created an amalgamation of potions and leglimency to clear a patient’s mind of the long-term effects of being in a prison like Azkaban. It was quite successful on a few of our wizard test subjects.”

“You tested it on actual wizards?” Lucius was surprised.

“With their informed consent of course, though none of them were as exposed to dementors as Sirius Black has been.” LockSaw replied.

“It is still a very risky move; one I am not comfortable making.” Lucius piped up. in this already risky business, he did not want a wild card to cause any kind of disruptions. It may or may not lead to painful and untimely death if the wrong people were to get a wind of it.

“Well then, we need Mr. Potter here as only he can be allowed to unseal his parents will.” LockSaw said.

“Unseal? What do you mean by that?” Severus did not like where this was going.

“The Potter’s Last Will and Testament was sealed by the executor of their estate.” LockSaw looked at them pointedly as he continued. “He then committed suicide a few days later, for no apparent reason.”

Severus and Lucius could understand what the goblin manager was trying to say. They were no strangers to suicides with no apparent reason.

The question was, why would anyone want the Potter’s will to be sealed.

“Now that the estate manager is no longer alive and no other can be appointed in his place, only Mr. Potter is eligible to unseal those wills.” HildeSkor explained. “That is why, we need to bring him here, maybe the wills will give us some way to work something out. Another guardian perhaps, some way to get into the Black townhouse even.”

Severus sighed heavily; this is what he was worried about. The only way to take any further actions was to get Harry to the bank. And that was going to be difficult.

“I’ll try to work something out.” He said.

“Meanwhile, we’ll ask our research team to find some way to determine the location of the two as of yet lost horcruxes.” HildeSkor assured him.

~~***~~

Harry Potter was in the library. He had gone through the muggleborn introduction book, but there were some topics in it he wanted further clarification on. Also not all the students would come to the library and he had already found a quiet secluded spot where he could read undisturbed.

His fame and his not so expected sorting had made him a spectre in people’s eyes. Some saw him with awe, some with indifference and some outright hate. He did not understand nor wanted to understand people’s perception of him. He was happy with the two friends he’d made so far.

Even though Ron and Draco did not get along at all, they were very good to him individually. They were frosty at best to each other. The tension was palpable when they were in each other’s vicinity. So Harry was in the library to escape that too; as Ron did not want to anywhere near it and Draco found it to be lacking, the library in his manor was much more expansive he said.

So here Harry was, peacefully reading through a book he had found hidden away in his secret spot, when he heard the voices.

“He does not look like what the books say.” A boy was saying.

“Yeah, and did you look at his clothes? They looked four sizes too big. What’s with that? I thought the Potter’s were very well off?” another one spoke up.

“Maybe its that Boy Who Lived style statement.”

That set off the two unknown boys snickering.

“Well what can you do about it. He’s in Slytherin too now. I say he’s a lost cause, set on a pedestal by imbeciles like Dumbledore.”

“Shush! You’re gonna get us in trouble with statements like that.”

“Oh chill mate. There is no one in here. Only the Ravenclaws come so far into the library.”

The voices gradually faded away. They left behind a very hurt and confused boy.

~*~

It was after lunch that Severus came back to the school. He had gone with Lucius for a late brunch at his manor. They had talked about Draco and a bit about Harry too. Lucius had been happy and somewhat worried when he found out that the boys were sharing a room.

Happy because his son would now get a fair chance to be a friend to Harry like he had always wanted, and worried because he now knew of the horcrux that Harry carried within him.

Severus had assured Lucius that he had not seen any manifestation of the Dark Lord in Harry and that he would keep an eye out for it; and also keep Draco safe.

So with the question of how to get Harry to the bank still swirling around in his head, Severus made his way to his office. The classes would begin tomorrow and he wanted to go over the materials he was to teach the next day. Then he could ponder over his troubles some more.

There was also the fact that he had not told the goblins and Lucius about the fact that he had somehow time traveled and merged with his younger self. He did not know if he were to tell them, would they even believe him? Better yet, should he even mention that?

As he entered the corridor leading to his office, he saw a small lump of something sitting right beside the door. He carefully and silently made his way closer, trying to figure out what it was, his wand slipping into his hand for any situation that may arise.

The lump slowly lengthened into a child sized figure, that was when he realised it was Harry. Breathing a sigh of relief, he called out to the boy.

“Mr. Potter, to what do I owe this surprise visit?”

The boy turned with a jerk, worrying Severus about his neck for a moment there. He then looked down, his shoulders hunched up around his ears, staring intently at the stone floor.

Severus sighed and motioned the boy inside his office. He pointed him towards the desk chair he kept for students only and went to the door connecting to the kitchenette the school provided teachers with. He made his regular cup of tea and took the rest of the tea things, placing them before the boy and letting him make his own.

“Now.” He said, looking at the boy intently. “How can I help you today?”

Harry looked at him from under his fringe, eyes trained on the first button of Severus’ robe.

“I was wondering Professor, if you could take me to the bank?”

Severus sat there, mute with shock. He had been trying to figure out a way to get the boy to the bank, and here he was, asking to be escorted there, by him.

Gathering his thoughts, he asked, “Why do you wish to go to the bank?”

Harry let his gaze drop, mumbling under his breath.

“Speak up, child. I am not going to scold you, I need the reason so that I can inform the Headmaster about it.”

“Well.. um.. there were these boys in the library. And… and they said that my family was well off.. you know.” Harry wet his lips, mouth suddenly feeling dry. “So i.. so I thought.. that maybe there might be more than the one vault and I was wondering… um.. I was wondering if there were more vaults.. and if those vaults maybe had some pictures or.. or maybe portraits like the ones here… and..”

“You wished to see if you could find those portraits to talk to your parents?”

Harry nodded, his eyes suddenly glazing over with tears. He didn’t know why he was feeling so emotional about it, but no one had ever talked to him so softly. Even the teachers in his primary had been rude to him once the Dursley got to them. But here was Professor Snape, who had been friends with his mother and spoke so softly to him.

He had been worried when he had come down to the man’s office, if he would get upset with Harry for disturbing him, or get upset for wanting to go to the bank just to find some portraits.

Severus could see the boy was getting emotional and he did not know how to handle that, so he did what he did best. Distract.

“Have you seen any wizarding photos Harry?”

The boy simply shook his head in negative, still not looking at him.

“Wait here.”

With that, Severus made his way to his personal chambers. Pulling out a drawer, he emptied it; then pulling off the false bottom, he retrieved the only photo he had with Lily. Creating a duplicate of it, he placed his things back in the order they were.

When he went back to his office, Harry was still sitting in the same spot, hunched over and fidgeting with his fingers.

“Here,” He said. “This is from when we went back home after our fourth year. She had finally worn me down to get a photo with me.”

Harry looked at the photo in his hand with awe, eyes wide and disbelieving. He slowly reached out to take it, with wondering gaze he looked at his mother. Older than him, but still young in the picture. He saw his teacher crossing his arms and trying not to look directly at the camera, while his mother tried to get him to uncross them and get him to look up. He did once, for half a second, when the loop started itself back up.

But Harry’s eyes were fixed on his mother, her red hair, her big smile, her trying to get Severus to smile too. And he kept looking at her, mesmerised. So he was a bit startled when his tears fell onto the photo.

“Sorry, sorry.” He said. “I’ll wipe it off.”

He wiped off the tear drops and held it out for Severus to take.

“It’s alright Harry. It’s yours.”

Finally, the boy looked up at him, green eyes full of tears still, looking at him in surprise.

He simply nodded and pushed the boy’s hand holding the photo back towards him, not breaking eye contact. He did not let the wonder he could feel coming from the boy show in his expressions.

“Now, I will go to the Headmaster and get you a pass to visit Diagon Alley. When will you prefer to go?”

“Um.. can we.. may we go today? I mean.. if.. if it’s alright with you?”

Severus had a fleeting thought of the double checks he had wished to do, but the boy in front of him seemed more important in that moment. So he simply nodded and turned to go out, pulling up his occlumency shields, preparing for the meeting he was about to have with the Headmaster.

~*~

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, pondering on the wrench that had been thrown in his plans. A wrench by the name of ‘Harry getting sorted into Slytherin’.

Never had he ever expected the boy to get sorted into that house. It had surprised him, when the hat had called out the green and silver house of snakes for the golden boy of the wizarding world. But here he was, trying to make heads or tail of it. And the blasted hat had refused to speak on it, citing school magics prevented it from disclosing anything it found in a student's head while sorting them.

So he had been wracking his brains for a whole day and a half now, trying to come up with a way to get the boy under his control.

He was disturbed by the entrance of one of his teachers, Severus.

“The Potter boy wishes to go to Diagon Alley." The man sneered, without preamble. “Something about forgetting to pick up his supplies form the apothecary.”

“Hello to you too Severus.” Dumbledore smiled genially, the infernal twinkle ever so present in his eye. “I am sure the boy simply wants to do good in your class and is worried now that he is in your house.”

“Yes, why not. A Potter interested in potions, that’ll be the day.” he scoffed.

“Now now, Severus. give the boy a chance. I am sure he is more like Lily than you believe him to be.” The twinkle in the Headmaster’s eye intensifying. It seemed to him, he had found a way to get Harry out of Slytherin and into Gryffindor, where he belonged. The wretched snakes will simply do his job for him, by bullying the boy out of the house.

Severus could see the cogs turning in the Headmaster’s head. He did not know what the old wizard was thinking, but he was sure it was nothing good. He fortified his shields some more.

“If you say so. I want it to be done and over with, so if you would give the boy a pass for the alley, I would like to get back to my routine as soon as possible.” He sniffed disdainfully, not even having to act. Being in the presence of the Headmaster was ringing alarm bells in his head.

The old wizard took out a permission slip and signed it, passing it to Severus so that he could sign it too. After that was done, the black clad man slipped it in one of his numerous robe pockets. Inclining his head in farewell, he made his way out and quickly down to the dungeons where his student waited.

~*~

Second time in the Alley and Harry was still mesmerised by the hubbub of it all. The street vendors, the witches haggling for a better price, the crowd moving seamlessly this way and that. He loved it all.

Soon Severus had him in the bank and in front of a teller. Before he could get a word out he heard Severus speak up.

“Mr. Potter for Madam HildeSkor.” He said.

Harry looked at him in confusion but the man simply placed a hand on his shoulder, which seemed to reassure him, weirdly enough. He then looked back at the teller, who was speaking to the goblin he had met on his first time at the bank.

The goblin then turned to them and motioned to follow him. Harry couldn’t help but pipe up.

“Hello Griphook.” He said, with a small smile on his face, unsure of his greeting.

Griphook turned to him with hastily concealed surprise, “Hello, Mr. Potter.” He replied and turned away, now quickly leading them into the bank.

Harry smiled a bit wider, happy to get a reply out of the small being.

The man and boy followed the goblin to a, now familiar to Severus, office. They were immediately granted access and soon Harry had been introduced to the female goblin sitting in front of him.

“Mr. Potter would like to know if there are any vaults, he has access to. If yes, then how many.” Severus stated, a look in his eye indicating something to the goblin.

“Of course, Master Snape.”

The goblin again took out some parchment, a small goblin forged knife and two vials of potion from her desk. Setting a piece of parchment in front of each potion she turned to Harry.

“Mr. Potter, I need you to drop three drops of blood in this vial from your left ring finger and five drops of blood in this vial from your right thumb, if you please.” She instructed calmly.

Harry picked up the knife, worry churning in his gut. He slowly pierced the tip of his ring finger and counted out the drops in the first vial, when Severus healed it as soon as he was done. He smiled at the man in gratitude before he pierced the thumb and counted out the drops for the second vial. Again, as soon as he was done, Severus healed the thumb too.

The goblin stoppered the vials, shook them for a few seconds then poured out their contents one by one on the corresponding parchments.

As it did with Severus’ blood, the contents of the vials slithered on the parchment slowly forming words on both of them. The goblin picked them up and read through them before giving a nod to Severus.

“Mr. Potter.” The goblin said to him. “there are a few things we should discuss, before we get to the vaults you have access to.”

**Author's Note:**

> please leave comments and kudos, so I may write more and improve more.  
Thank you. ❤️


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